Character Scaffolding

(Free image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

 I'm sorry readers that the Well you've been wishing in is collecting cobwebs and dust--I'm back to brush them away.

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     There are ten core characters in my Wynna story: the dragon-riding members of the Winged Patrol. For a long time I only really knew three: the Captain (or Ecipol, as Dorinthian rank goes), Wynna, and her friend Filip. The other seven were just empty boots, and I didn't know how to fill them.

     So I looked to a master of character-creating: Julian Fellowes. I made a list of each of his unique and likable Downton Abbey staff members. Beside each name I wrote an epithet that summed up their character or their role as a whole (troublemaker, loyal one, witty one). Then I parceled out some of those tags to the Winged Patrol. That balanced out the group and gave me a scaffold on which to build their personalities. Now their backstories can trickle in, and my story can move on.

From left to right: Sivvan, Justus, Lejn, Oskar, Wynna

Filemus, Ecipol Tannebelte, Filip, Dirkartha, Phoenix

How do you create new characters?

Stepping Into Nurse Crawley's Shoes

     You never get too old for dress up. I'm sure that's one reason Halloween is such a popular holiday. Here is a Downton Inspired Nurse Sybil Crawley costume. Everything is handmade. The dress was originally sewn for a Wynna movie that didn't happen, and the apron was part of a Halloween maidservant costume.

     Call it escapism or whatever you like, but that desire to try being someone else is what I think is at the root of fiction. We invent characters and make things happen to them because it allows us to experience the exciting, the novel, the out-of-the-ordinary, all from a safe distance.

Favorite Quotes+An Answer

     My recent two favorite quotes are both from period dramas. The first is from Wives and Daughters.

"I'm not saying she's very silly, but one of us was silly, and it wasn't me." --Squire Hambley

Especially when said in a completely matter-of-fact tone, I just think that's hilarious. I had to rewind and listen to it again when I heard it the first time.


The second quote is from Downton. What a fun use of the word "jolly!"

     "Have you done something jolly with your hair?" --Sir Anthony Strallan to Edith

     On a side note, do you remember my laments about hating to write but loving to have written? Well I found an answer in the form a post on The Write Practice. How to Fall in Love With Writing Again. Check it out!

What is your favorite period drama quote?

The Delights of Downton

    Here's something for you to mull over. What do Downton Abbey, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and high school bands have in common? I'll give you a minute.

     When I was small, I wished and wished that I could be a maidservant and wear a cap, a collared dress and a white, frilly apron. I wanted to walk around with good posture and curtsy to the ladies and gentlemen. I wanted to serve tea and carry trays of delicacies.
    Watching Downton Abbey is reviving my dream! If you've never seen it, it's a period drama that begins in 1912. It's about the intertwined yet separate lives of the Grantham family and their servants. There are some bits I would leave out (and some casting changes I would make), but all in all, Downton is my dream show. I understand why everyone loves it! Besides the alluring historical setting and everything that comes with good writing (conflict, suspense, secrets, irony, etc.), there's a special key aspect about Downton that makes it so lovable.
     Was that minute long enough?
     I've thought about it, and I think the answer has a lot to do with Downton's success. The show, the movies, the books, and the organizations all have in common a large but selective group of friends. Or in other words, a "fellowship" or a "family," the kind of thing to which we all want to belong. Downton hits that spot by following not only one or two but 16 close-knit primary characters. They all interact with each other according to their personalities, like a family. Not only that, an array of viewers can relate to their favorite or second-favorite be it self-sacrificing Bates, gullible Daisy, spirited Lady Sibyl, or down-to-earth Matthew Crawley.

In your mulling, what did you come up with as a common factor? What else do you think contributes to Downton's appeal?